Here There Be Monsters
Here There Be Monsters was the first audio story in the third series of the Companion Chronicles. It featured the First Doctor, Susan Foreman, Barbara Wright and Ian Chesterton and was performed by Carole Ann Ford and Stephen Hancock. The story is set between Planet of Giants and The Dalek Invasion of Earth. Synopsis "It was a terrible sound, like someone had just stabbed the Universe and it was crying out in pain" The distant future. The TARDIS, with the Doctor, Susan, Ian and Barbara aboard, is drawn out of the Vortex and lands aboard the Earth Benchmarking Vessel, Nevermore, where Captain Rostrum is navigating by punching holes in the very fabric of space. The Doctor is appalled by this act of vandalism, and fearful that it could unleash monsters from the dark dimensions. As the benchmarking holes begin to fray, the fate of the universe is at stake. And while the Doctor contemplates a terrible sacrifice, Susan befriends the Nevermore's First Mate - someone she will remember for the rest of her life... Plot Part One Susan recalls a time when her grandfather began to ponder over Susan needing a new life. This was the time she could remember in her nightmares, of the First Mate's voice and when Ian and Barbara had travelled with them for a long time. While travelling through the Vortex, the TARDIS experiences a collision of some kind. As the Doctor tries to investigate, the ship automatically arrives in a new location. Ian and Barbara are first outside followed by Susan and the Doctor and they discover that they are inside some sort of vegetation. The Doctor finds walls and claims it to be a spaceship. Following an obvious path, the TARDIS crew investigate. The First Mate and older Susan discuss the ages of a Time Lord and discover that Ian and Barbara were merely babies compared to that of Susan and especially the Doctor. While travelling through the undergrowth, the TARDIS crew notice that the leaves are tracking their movements as they go. This phenomenon continues when they find bushes covering some controls. The Doctor recognises it as the culprit for the energy discharge that the TARDIS experienced. As Ian tries to pull the leaves away, the vines just filled the gap and pulled a lever, which set off another discharge. They decide to talk to the Captain and so follow the routes of the vines, further into the ship. After travelling through most of the ship, the TARDIS crew find a room filled with dead branches and leaves. Ian examines one and the Doctor deduces that perhaps the ship was built for one large living creature. They finally reach the bridge, which is completely coated in the vines and hanging from the roof, they can see the large bark body of a creature. The Doctor addresses the creature confidently. The creature announces itself as Rostrum, a vegetational life-form created by Humans. It claims to have been given the task of piloting ships just like other that had been created. It explains that it has lost a lot of its memory because where the memory banks are stored, its vines have died. It explains that it has been three-hundred and thirty years since it was created. The Doctor is worried about the Space Time Continuum, because the benchmark flying technique was tearing a hole through the fabric of space. Barbara compares Rostrum's journey to that of when English ships were released from dock and how they could navigate their way back. She explained that a knife was sprinkled with a powder and then this dagger would stab a traveller. After that every time the dagger was sprinkled, every dog on ship whimpered and would help them back to shore. Rostrum explains that he is tearing holes in the fabric of space to create a navigational grid for the Human race, making sure that they can reach the stars. The Doctor is against the idea completely. As the Doctor and Rostrum argue, Susan begins to wander around the ship. She reaches the engines and find that there's a another life-form on board. Near the engines, Susan found the First Elder working. They shared views on the purpose of the ship and the First Elder agreed that it was perhaps too dangerous. When the ship shudders violently, Susan goes to investigate on the bridge where they find a hostile ship out in space firing powerful missiles. Rostrum explains that they have no defences. Part Two A whole tears in the fabric of space and giant, monstrous tentacles pull both the hostile vessel and the missiles from existence in time before they collide with the Nevermore. As the monster disappears, the Doctor is furious with Rostrum, proving that his theories were correct. As he does so, Susan wanders off again to find a location where Rostrum's tendrils have also died. They were once connected to the memory banks that are stored inside large fruit. The First Mate arrives and tells Susan to keep away from him. She doesn't comply and suddenly feels overwhelmed with tiredness. As she falls to the ground, the First Mate just walks away. Barbara arrives to help Susan recuperate from her sudden faintness. They return to the bridge and explain to Rostrum that he has an intruder on the ship. The vegetative life form doesn't believe them, but discovers that the fact that some sections of his tendrils have died, means this intruder can walk about freely. To help, the TARDIS crew set off to find the mysterious stranger. Susan finds him in the original undergrowth where the TARDIS arrived. He is pulling the benchmarking lever backwards in order to try and stop the activity. As he does so, the leaves around him begin to wither and die. Susan explodes at him for lying about his identity. Once again he tells her to keep away. The Doctor arrives to question him and he has no choice but to answer. The First Mate explains that he is an individual from the dark dimensions and that his presence is the cause of death and destruction. He has been trying to halt the benchmarking process because it is interfering with his universe. The Doctor decides that he is the perfect candidate to speak with Rostrum. Overhearing this, Rostrum claims that they have all betrayed him and captures Ian and Barbara in the process. The First Mate decides the only option is for him to exceed his entire power in order to kill Rostrum. This means, however, that he will die. The Doctor and the rest of the TARDIS are ordered by him to return to their ship for protection. He begins the process and Rostrum is killed. Susan recalls the last few moments she had with the First Mate and believes that his presence is still with her after all these years even after her departure from the TARDIS. Characters * First Doctor * Susan Foreman * Ian Chesterton * Barbara Wright * Captain Rostrum * First Mate Crew * Recording - Dominique Brethes * Sound Design - David Darlington * Music - David Darlington * CD Mastering - David Darlington * Series Theme by - Ron Grainer * Arrangement - Delia Derbyshire * Theme Remastered - David Darlington * BFP Administration - Miles Haigh-Ellery & Gary Atterton * Producer's Assistant - Frances Welsh * Cover Illustration - Simon Holub * Booklet Design - Alex Mallinson * Marketing Director - John Ainsworth * Web Editor - Paul Wilson * Producer - David Richardson * Script Editors - Alan Barnes & Jacqueline Raynor * Executive Producers - Nicholas Briggs & Jason Haigh-Ellery Continuity * Susan mentioned their arrival in a dead forest on Skaro. (The Daleks) * Susan also mentions her husband, David Campbell, to the First Mate. (The Dalek Invasion of Earth) Category:First Doctor Stories Category:Stories featuring Susan Foreman Category:Stories featuring Barbara Wright Category:Stories featuring Ian Chesterton